Edited by 1Jayds

Team Alex (a truly original name, if I say so myself) was waiting on the field for their opponents to walk up. The group had gathered around their orb and were watching our heroes walk towards their side. It was obvious that Alex was getting impatient as he was playing wildly with some black sphere. He was surrounded by four beautiful women but he really didn’t care. Not when he’s facing “those guys.”

“Come on! Let’s get this party started! I want to kick some scrawny ass!”

“Calm down, Alex,” said the brown haired girl. “You’re going to lose that… toy of yours if you don’t watch out.” This girl was Anne, the Shield of their team and the calmest of the three. She might not be nobility but she had plenty of combat experience up in the North. She’s wielded her shield ever since she could walk.

“Can’t you see I’m calm?!” shouted Alex back. “If I were any not-calmer I would be a corpse!”

“Ah yes, very eloquently put, master Alex.”

“Shut up, Anne,” said a girl who stepped towards her. “Let Alex do as he pleases. We’re all a bit jittery.” This was Kyra, Star of the Northern Fist, master of unarmed combat. She wasn’t particularly calm, considering she was about to face that vile boy again, but she was much more in control than their leader. She had been watching Alex play with that black thing for a while now and she still had no idea what it was.

“Aye.” Anne decided to shut up altogether. She sat down and concentrated on herself.

“So Alex, who should we focus on first?” asked Kyra. She walked up to Alex and stood by his side as they watched Team Bluefire get ready. She couldn’t help but stare at the boy who had repeatedly made a fool of her, no matter how often she challenged him.

“How should I know?!”

“Well, considering you’re the leader….”

“So? I chose you because you can think on your own. You tell me who we should target first!” Alex was obviously not very good when it came to planning. That, and his nerves were really getting to him.

‘I’m pretty sure you picked us because we make you look good,’ thought Kyra but she kept that to herself. She had prepared for this fight much more than Alex did, she’d watched all of their fights beforehand and knew the strengths and weaknesses of most of its members. Except Ymil, she could not get a read on the guy.

“Well, if we were to go according to strength we should try to remove their ranged attackers first, so Amalia and Rena should be our top priority.”

“That’s what I was thinking, good job!”

“But,” she continued, “their Shield has proven to be quite apt at his job and has blocked all ranged attacks so far. Getting to them will be difficult.”

“No problem,” said Alex and he smiled viciously. “That Shield shouldn’t be a problem….”

Kyra sighed. “I have no idea what you’re planning but even then we still wouldn’t be done. You know who follows behind their Shield, right?”

Alex knew, of course he knew. He hated the guy’s guts. “All the more reason to do it then, don’t you agree?” His smiled broadened even more at the thought of fighting that blue-haired freak.

“Well, I don’t think we have much choice in the matter anyways. You, Anne and I will have to get past Ragnar and his gang in order to get to their backline. We should not forget that Ymil will also join the fray as well.”

“Ah yes, that blueberry dweeb’s lackey. You can beat him like always, right?”

*Slap*

“What the?!” Alex looked in surprise at his assailant. Kyra had just slapped their leader before she realized it. How ignorant could someone be?!

“Yes, I’ve beaten Ymil is every fight so far, but do you know why, oh great lord Alex?”

Kyra started to emanate an tyranical aura that would intimidate any man. Her was went dark and she leered at their valued leader. Was it his imagination or did her hair start to fly up?

“No…” answered Alex uncertainly.

“Because he… because he!!!!!” Her entire face was turning redder and redder.

‘Uh oh,’ thought Alex to himself and he shielded himself from the girl that was about to explode.

“BECAUSE HE FUCKING HELD BACK, YOU RETARD!” Kyra’s face was beat red as she yelled at he top of her lungs. “THAT LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT THINKS HE NEEDS TO GO EASY ON ME. ME OF ALL PEOPLE! I AM THE STAR OF THE….”

“Chill out, Kyra. We all know you have a crush on the guy. The match is about to start.” Anne got up and she looked in the direction of their opponent. “Everyone, get your Souls out, the match is about to begin.”

Kyra urgently tried to suppress her anger and gathered her thoughts together. She put her hands in front of her and poured energy into her Soul. Her bright red boxing gloves appeared around her hands and she pounded them together, creating a small spark.

She looked at the rest of their group and assessed their strength for the zillionth time. The Antalagi twins were such quiet members of their team that most people often didn’t notice them. They excelled at long ranged combat and their magical attacks were truly a force to be reckoned with. The bow and staff they wielded (she still had no idea who was whom) were simple yet effective. They both shared the same gem color as well, cyan.

Anne was the most down to earth member of their team. She really didn’t seem all that special, considering her hair color, but apparently she’s fought against Sea Creatures ever since she was 7. She still didn’t believe those things existed but she’d witnessed Anne’s prowess with the shield so she could at least believe in her skill.

Then there is Alex. He’s...unique, as they say. It’s true that his strength is incredible but he’s as hotblooded as they come. Sure, it might be because he’s a boy but really, there’s got to be a limit to someone’s stupidity. His ability with his Soul was quite impressive though, he was a genuine anti-personnel soldier. He wielded the electric element as though he were born to it and his skill with the Halberd was second to none.

And then there was Kyra. She thought of herself as the team’s most valuable asset but she never really said it out loud. She was certain in her fighting skills and knew she could best almost anyone in their opponent's team, even with the disadvantage of being unarmed. The only person she could not predict was Ymil, that boy infuriated her to no end.

Off course, all of this was about to be tested as the announcer began announcing the team compositions.

***********************************

The Private Balcony was a lot livelier than it usually was. When Mia and Lance entered the VIP lounge they immediately noticed the large buffet standing in the back of the room. Being impulsive as ever, Mia ran for the yummy looking food right away. Lance, albeit a bit more restrained, followed closely. Was that lobster he saw there?!

“Hey Lance, take a look at this!” Mia shoved a piece of turkey in Lance’s mouth and laughed. “It’s a huge chicken!”

“Erm… I f-fink it’s c-called furkey,” said Lance with his mouth full. He took the piece in his hands and chewed slowly. “I-it taste’s pretty b-bland….”

“How about this?!” Mia was waving a piece of pheasant in his face. “It’s another weird chicken!”

“T-that’s not…” started Lance but he was interrupted by someone else.

“What is the meaning of this?!” shouted a blond man, well in his late years. “Who allowed these brats to come in here?!”

“I did,” said a red haired noble as he walked into the room. “These people were invited by me. No objections I presume, Lord Chrysos?”

Two more men quietly walked into the room. Lord Chrysos’s eyes shot directly towards the blue-haired man. The muscular build and hair color must mean he was a powerful lord indeed. Even though he didn’t recognise the man, he knew he had to be cautious.

“No...no problems,” said Lord Chrysos and he sat back down in his seat.

“I’m sorry, mister,” said Mia as she walked up to him. “We’ll be quiet from now on.”

“Hmmph,” grunted the man but he didn’t look at her. He focussed on the field below, the place where his son was about to fight. Alex’d better win this year, he was the last of his spawn . The family name had been disgraced enough as it was.

The field itself was the same as the year before, very open with several rocks and boulders strewn about. It helped make the fights more visible to the audience and gave each team an equal vantage point. There should be no terrain benefits to either side except with the few large boulders to hide behind.

Everyone else in the room also came to sit down as the announcer started to introduce the contestants.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 413th edition of Halram’s Royal Final! We all know what this means and….”

“Hey daddy,” whispered Mia as she looked down at the two teams. “Why is that man so grumpy?”

Olaf shrugged. “Who knows. Some people are just grouchy that way, I guess.”

“You don’t know?” asked Lord Kafsi in surprise as he heard their whispers. “This is Lord Chrysos’s 13th child to fight in the Royal Finals, of which the previous 12 all lost their lives in the process. It is a well know fact that Lord Chrysos is one of the strongest men in the country and there are too many people that don’t wish to see his power grow any further.”

Olaf looked at the man in shock and disbelief. “Wait, are you telling me that this man has watched his children die 12 times already?”

Lord Kafsi nodded. “Yes, so I don’t think his behavior is all that unjustified.”

Olaf couldn’t begin to contemplate how that must feel. He could barely watch his children leave for school, what would he do if he were to witness his son’s death? Twelve times at that?

“I can’t imagine how….”

“Shh, daddy, they’re introducing Ragnar’s team!”

Everyone fell silent and listened to the announcer.

“...And on the right side we have team Bluefire! Led by the one and only blueberry! I mean Ragnar, Ragnar Forgeron!...”

“Pffft, they’re not very original with their jokes, are they?” Olaf had heard that word a gazillion times when he moved to Tharkia. These people had a terrible naming sense.

“Quiet, daddy!” Mia didn’t want to miss a thing about the fight. Her dad’s stupidity didn’t have to come in the way.

“...He wields a magnificent blue claymore that can slice any opponent to bits. And standing right next to him is Tomato, also known as Amalia Kafsi! I have yet to see anyone best her when it comes to feats of magic!”

“Meh,” said Lord Kafsi. “I’ve heard worse.” He subconsciously started to play with his hair.

“And then we have Rena Deuteri. Don’t let her fool you, she will whip you and not in the kinky way! Next to her stands Ymil Idagni, man of few words but many punches. Will he be able to be a match to Kyra this year? Who knows?!”

Max revealed a faint smile on his usual straight face. Was this the man’s son, thought Lord Kafsi. Now that he thought about it, the man hadn’t introduced himself. He looked vaguely familiar but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Oh well, it probably wasn’t important.

“And last but not least we have the team’s life line, the shield that none can pass: Theo Katharos! Give the two teams a round of applause people!”

“Woohoo!” shouted Olaf and Mia at the same time. “GO RAGNAR! GO YMIL!”

Lord Kafsi smiled and decided to join in. “Go Amalia, you can do it!” Nothing wrong with cutting loose from time to time, right?

And Lance? Off course he cheered for everyone on the team. I mean, how could he not cheer for all his friends?

But on the side sat Lord Chrysos, not saying a word. He couldn’t stand the rowdiness of the people next to him but he had to endure it, Lord Kafsi had quite a bit of influence. But that wasn’t the reason he stayed silent, something else was on his mind. Katharos, yes, Katharos, that was the name of that woman! How did she ever manage to raise a child?!

But his gloominess didn’t affect the others on the balcony though, they were all actively supporting team Bluefire. With the exception of Max, off course, but he too silently wished for Ymil’s fight to go well. People tended to die in these fights.

***************************

“On your marks....FIGHT!”

Team Alex’s vanguard moved out the moment the announcer began the contest. The fighting trio (Alex, Kyra and Anne) rushed towards the center of the field while the Antalagi twins set up protective barriers around their orb. In a game where the orb meant winning or losing it was essential to place protective wards around it. The opponent might just steal it without them noticing.

The trio ran in a formation they’d practiced millions of times. Anne, the shield, was dashing up front with her field extended and exuding a force field to repel any projectile attacks. She was then closely followed by Alex, their anti-personnel, and Kyra, their poke. What is a poke you ask? Someone who occupies everyone else so that Alex and Anne could fight unhindered. It was truly a difficult task, especially considering how team Bluefire used the exact same strategy.

At least, that’s what they expected. They first noticed something was different when team Bluefire didn’t immediately rush towards the battlefield.

What do you think’s up with that? asked Kyra on their private channel. Although they were too far out for the twins to hear her, she only really needed to talk to the two besides her.

No idea, responded Anne, but take a look at that!

When team Bluefire did move out they didn’t move as they’d anticipated. They’d assumed that their opponent would use the same strategy as them, three in the vanguard. But there were only two of them running to meet them, the blue-haired twat and their shield. What had happened to Ymil?

Ymil had stayed behind to help the girls set up the magical protections around the orb. He was silently sitting in the middle of a circle they’d drawn and colors started to pour into the barrier. The girls on his side were doing the same.

What kind of barrier is that? asked Kyra as she saw the rainbow colors surround their enemies. We never learned anything like THAT!

Shut up, Kyra! repsonded Alex. You take care of Ymil, I’ll get rid of Ragnar.

Everyone else agreed, that spell must require three people to cast and so Ymil would join the fight later on. That had to be the only explanation.

Brace yourselves! Anne strengthened her bash and ran right into their opponent’s shield.

*FLASH*

A bright flash of light illuminated battlefield, blinding everyone at the epicenter. It took team Alex a while to recover and when they looked they saw the two Shield pushing against each other. Small sparks flew off between them as metal clashed and both were visibly trying hard to outpush the other. For now, the shields would not be able to move.

They had little time to admire the scene though as Ragnar was quick to act. He was in Alex’s range within an instant and slashed at the boy with his frigid claymore. The action happened so fast that Alex was barely able to block it, his body flying into the air.

Ragnar quickly followed up by jumping after Alex, his sword held above his head, ready to swing down.

But Kyra would have none of that. She was there to protect the young lord. She quickly moved between the flying Alex and Ragnar and planned to attack Ragnar in the stomach. I mean, he’d left that part completely open! She readied her punch as Ragnar flew right at her.

And then the impossible happened. Ragnar evaded her attack. For some reason Ragnar’s trajectory had changed mid flight and thus she missed her mark completely. No normal human being could do that, right?

She had to adapt quickly though as Ragnar landed behind her. She turned around as fast as she could and prepared herself for any incoming blows, but they never came. Instead, Ragnar had taken a few steps away from his opponents and leered at them.

“Well well well,” said the blue-haired boy. “Looks like you need a little girl to save your ass. Congratulations Alex, you’ve just lost your manhood.”

Alex got up and took his soul in both hands. The awe-inspiring halberd was a magnificent masterpiece that featured golden patterns on its blue hilt, its blade made of pure gold. Gold isn’t exactly high grade material but it did have something else going for it. It was one of the best conductors in the world.

“What did you say?!” asked Alex, his face beat red.

“Awwww, did I hurt little Alex’s feelings? Would poor little Alexandra like to cry?” Ragnar was obviously enjoying this.

Don’t listen to him! warned Kyra as she saw how Alex was reacting. He’s only taunting you!

Well, I guess it’s working. You stay out of this one, Kyra! Go sneak around and take care of their girls.

What about Ymil? she asked and then she looked at their enemy’s base. Ymil was standing in front of their orb with his arms extended and looking right at them. What on earth was he doing?

He’s not coming, said Alex. Now go before I kick your ass myself.

Kyra nodded and quickly ran for cover. There were a few large boulders here and there so she was able to hide herself from their opponents. If she stayed hidden she could sneak past the shield and then stealthily take care of Rena and Amalia. In that order off course, Rena’s whip was far too powerful to ignore.

Not much later and both teams started their ranged offensive. Team Alex was first and a large barrage of arrows flew from their base towards the enemy’s girls. It was the strategy they’d come up with before the fight. The moment their vanguard disabled their opponent’s shield they would crush their enemies with an overwhelming amount of spells and arrows. They could not communicate with their vanguard as the range of telepathy was too limited but they’d agreed that the twins should use their trump card if the situation required it.

The volley coming from team Bluefire was very much the same but instead of arrows and spells it was whiplashes and spells.

Hrrnnnggghhhh! communicated Anne. Those whiplashes are much stronger than anticipated. I don’t know how many of these I can endure! Anne and Theo were exchanging blows with their shields while making sure to block any incoming projectiles. Neither one of them was able to get the advantage.

Kyra understood the hint. She had to take care of Rena as fast as possible or else Anne would lose her composure. If their shield were to lose her barrier they’d be done for. Good thing that she was a master at hiding herself from far away opponents.

She quietly snuck past the force field that Theo was exuding and hid herself behind another boulder. She could clearly see how Ragnar and Alex were fighting it out and saw much to her satisfaction that Alex seemed to have the upperhand. Now she only had to sneak up to that green-haired girl and…

*BANG!*

The boulder in front of her split in two. What just happened? Kyra looked through the cracks and saw Rena readying another attack.

‘No way!’ she thought and she quickly withdrew to move out of her range. ‘How on earth did she know I was here? She shouldn’t be able to communicate with their vanguard, right?’

She hid behind another boulder, far out of Rena’s reach and took out an object she’d planned to use against Ymil. A smokebomb. She only had 2 of them.

Kyra threw the bomb onto the ground and she was quickly surrounded by smoke. The entire area around her was covered and not even Alex could see his team mate.

Be careful! communicated Anne as she saw what Kyra’d just done.

No worries, was the reply, I’ll just use this smoke to move around so she won’t know where I am.

By god, shouted Alex in his inner voice, Blueberry’s movements are inhumane I tell you! He’s able to move in mid air!

I noticed that too, answered Kyra. Just don’t let him land a hit.

Don’t tell me what to do!

And with that they broke all contact again. Kyra moved a little closer to Rena and hid behind a boulder until the smoke blew away. She was too far too communicate with them but she gave Alex a thumb’s up. He didn’t react though, he had just pushed Ragnar to the ground. This was his big chance!

But before Alex could land the finishing strike it happened again. The boy that should be unable to block the attack moved in a way that should not be possible. As Alex was about to impale his chest, Ragnar’s body slid to the right. That’s right, slid.

‘What on earth?’ thought Kyra, but before she could realize what had just happened….

*BOOM!*

The boulder between her and Rena split in two again.

‘This isn’t human!’ she thought and she quickly retreated again. ‘How on earth are they doing this?!’

“SCREW THIS!!” shouted Alex out of rage. He was completely fed up with this weird crap their opponents were pulling. “I’ve had it up to here with your little freak show! Kyra, Anne, step back!”

Not understanding what is happening, both Kyra and Anne moved back at the same time. This gave Theo the chance to dash forward again and came rushing at Anne with great speed. But before he could reach her Alex threw something into his forcefield. A normal projectile wouldn’t have any effect on the field but this one had been prepared especially for this occasion. The black ball Alex had been playing with was no mere toy.

*KABOOM!*

Before either Theo or Ragnar could react, a huge wall of flames swallowed the both of them.